“I want to preface this post with a bit of honesty and transparency. Growing up, I was always the stereotypical big kid or the ‘biggest cookie in the box,’ as my mom would say.

That being said, growing up fat you learn very quickly how cruel people can be. From other kids saying ‘There goes Chole the butterbean, the biggest gut I’ve ever seen,’ to family members calling me ‘Munch,’ ‘Cheese Tits,’ ‘Chub Boy,” and other unpleasant and embarrassing nicknames. As I got older, my weight spiraled out of control. The one thing that was constantly there for me was food - whether it was a pizza or a whole 2 liter bottle of Coca-Cola. It became an emotional and physical crutch because I did not look at food like most people did, which was a means of survival or fuel for their body. Food to me was the great escape - whether it was from outside influence or escape from myself. Now you may be asking yourself, ‘Well Chole, this is a depressing story and all, but what does any of this have to do with Hannah Marie The Strong RD?’ Well let me tell you. 

I had hit my second biggest weight ever - 430 lbs. So I sought out the help of a personal trainer, who was good, but my weight was still yo-yoing. I was aware of Hannah being an RD through her husband Andrew, who I train in martial arts with, but I was not yet ready to 1) admit that I had a problem and 2) to make that type of commitment. Then two events changed my perspective.

The first event is still a little bit embarrassing to talk about, but after losing my first 10-15 pounds, I attended my cousin’s wedding. I was feeling confident about all the weight I had lost until my cousin’s new husband grabbed one of my stomach rolls and everyone around started laughing at my expense. It felt humiliating on so many levels. I had worked so hard to lose weight only to feel like I was still the same fat nobody. I mean, these people are my family, they are supposed to support me and love me. So I did what any good 80’s action hero would do and worked out the rage. But I still had an unhealthy relationship with food in the form of starving and binging.

The second event that brought me to Hannah was her 1st Phorm Athlete Search video, where she talked about her struggles and her own toxic relationship with food. It finally clicked for me that someone else had similar demons and was able to beat them. Not only did I see a lot of myself in her, but I saw who I could become. So I took a chance and reached out to her.

She emailed me a form to fill out - height, weight, medications, etc. - and when we met, she asked me what my goals were, my current diet, and how I was doing overall. It was a very emotional meeting as I described my relationship with food and how toxic it was, but she listened to every bit of it. Then she explained what my diet should look like and what I would need to do to reach my goals. She was honest and sincere and she didn’t make me feel ashamed of myself. In fact, she was very encouraging. Her words to me were, ‘I am ready to tackle this goal with you if you are ready!’ She presented all of the tools I would need in a very digestible way (pun intended).

It gave me peace of mind that she wasn’t offering a fad diet, or something generic/commercialized, but rather something tailored to me and my needs. She was compassionate and understanding - whenever I experienced a hiccup in my journey, she responded in a way that was completely groundbreaking to me. Instead of a negative response or humiliation, she acknowledged that it happened, asked why I thought it happened and said, ‘Let’s recalculate and try again.’ She was, and still is, always ready to help me readjust in a positive way.

There are not enough words in the English lexicon to describe how great Hannah is, not only as a dietitian, but also as a human being. The only downside is we cannot always have a Hannah cheering us on at every workout. So if you are ready to take that first step in the right direction, or are a seasoned gym rat looking to improve, please consider going under the care of the Strongest RD in New Jersey - if not the world! Take it from the Mighty Choleslaw because without Hannah I would have been a lot less mighty, and probably would never have gotten under 400lbs.”

— Chole M., 24